Same as two Orions were put on station in case they were needed. Everybody knew they probably wouldn’t be, but you check to find out.
The ADF Force and AMSA have been doing this a long time - Australia has one of the largest maritime rescue zones in the world, including some of the most treacherous and isolated ocean. We know how to do it.
Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Charging for rescues—something which is sometimes advocated and even put into practice in the US—only means that people in possible danger put off calling for help, knowing they can receive a bill for thousands of dollars.
And using the same logic, how soon before rescue workers are expected to ask the relatives of the missing if they can pay for the rescue before any search teams are dispatched?